Fampridine a possible cure for multiple sclerosis

New York, February 26: According to a new study, the drug fampridine can alter the course of multiple sclerosis (MS) by improving the walking ability and slowing progression of the disease in some patients.

Neurologist Andrew Goodman, chief of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and lead author of the study, stated "This study indicates that fampridine could represent an important new way to treat multiple sclerosis and perhaps become the first drug to improve certain symptoms of the disease.

“The data suggest that, for a sub-set of MS patients, nervous system function is partially restored while taking the drug."

In phase three clinical trails, researchers studied 301 U.S. and Canadian adults with MS, aged 18 to 70 years. At the onset of the study, the patients were timed as they walked a distance of 25 feet.

The participants were randomly administered either 10 milligrams of fampridine or a placebo twice a day for 14 weeks. The patients' walking speed was assessed after two weeks, six weeks, 10 weeks and 14 weeks.

The researchers observed that 78 out of 224 (35 percent) participants in the fampridine group showed a better performance in at least three of the four assessments as opposed to six out of 72 (8 percent) in the placebo group. The patients in the fampridine group also showed greater improvement in leg strength.

During the course of the study, due to some adverse effects of focal seizures and severe anxiety, eleven patients in the fampridine group had to withdraw.

Drugs that target MS are evaluated on their ability to prevent relapses. However, the basic purpose of the study was to focus on participants' mobility and muscle strength compared to the disease process.

Goodman said that "During the course of the disease, many MS patients experience a decline in mobility and this disability has a major impact in terms of quality of life.

“As a clinician, I can say that improvement in walking speed could have important psychological value; it may give individuals the potential to regain some of the independence that they may have lost in their daily lives."

The researchers added, "We provide evidence that treatment with fampridine produces clinically meaningful improvement in walking ability in some people with multiple sclerosis."

MS is a disease of the central nervous system and is the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults. MS patients suffer a progressive decline in mobility. Besides physiotherapy, not many treatments are available.

Nearly a million people are afflicted by MS, which is characterized by frequent relapses. The common symptoms detected are muscle weakness, difficulties in movement, balance and coordination. Numbness in arms and legs persists, with problems in vision and speech. Gradually, the disease tends to deteriorate the neurological functions.

The researchers feel that the results of the study are encouraging and the drug may prove beneficial in improving vision, strength, mobility, fatigue and endurance in MS patients. Nevertheless, there are still some doubts regarding the efficacy and safety of fampridine.

The results of the study were published in the journal The Lancet.